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D. R. V. GOETGHINS.

Railway Cross Tie. No. 240,511. Patented April 26, 1881..

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UNITED STATES DENISON B. .V. GOETGHINS,

1 PATENT OFFICE.

()1? SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY CROSS-TIE.-

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,511, dated April 26, 1881.

Application filed December 21, 1880. (No model.)

-To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DENISON RV. GOETOH- INS, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway Gross- Ties, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a suitable and cheap substitute for the wooden cross-tie heretofore used for the support of railway-tracks.

. It consists, essentially, of a cross-tie or sleeper constructed of sheets or layers of paper or straw-board, applied one upon the other, cemented together and compressed, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

It also consists in the combination, with the said tie or sleeper, of a tie rod or bar rigidly secured thereto, and havingits extremities provided with a chair or shoeinterposed between the sleeper and track-rail.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a railway-track provided with my invention, and Fig. 2 a plan view of same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A A denote the two rails of a railroad-track, and G the cross-tie or sleeper which supports said rails. This cross-tie is generally madeof wood, owing to the hitherto ample supply and cheapness of such material, and also on. account of the requisite elasticity afforded by the wood. However, the great demand for timber and the rapid destruction of our forests have rendered the supply of suitable timber for railroad cross-ties so scarce, and increased the cost of same to such an extent, that it has become necessary to seek for other material or for other devices as a substitute for the wooden cross-tie.

In order to retain a'degreeof elasticity equal to that of wood,fibers of nearly every conceivable nature have been prepared and artificially combined in various ways with the view of producing the desired material but in every instance that has come to my knowledge the said compositions have been molded and compressed into one body of the requisite shape and dimensions. This process, however, fails to render the tie of a uniform compactness throughout its thickness, the spongynature of the material preventing the pressure to be transmitted to the center of the tie, and leaving 5 5 said portion porous and loose.

To obviate this defect I form the tie of sheets or layers of paper or straw-board, each of which has previously been subjected to sufficient pressure to impart to it the requisite stability and density. These sheets I apply one upon the other, with a suitable cement between them, and when piled or laid up to the requisite height I subject the pile to a pressure which firmly unites the sheets or layers, thus producing a tie composed of continuous longitudinal members of uniform density and stability throughout, each of which helps to support the others.

This tie may be rendered water-proof and durable by any of the well-known processes.

When to be used on tramways or railways having light rolling-stock and motive power, the rail may be spiked or bolted direct to the described sleeper in the same manner as is cus- 7 5 tomary with wooden sleepers.

When to be applied to railroads using heavy engines and cars, l relieve the sleeper of torsional strain by applying to the top thereof an iron or steel bar, a, having its extremities formed into chairs or shoes 8, which are interposed between the rail and sleeper, and have shoulders or flanges engagingopposite sides of the base of the rail.

The tie-bar a is firmly secured to the sleeper U by bolts b b,which, on bridges, may extend through the floor-beams.

Having described my invention, whatl claim is- 1. A cross-tie or sleeper for railway-tracks, constructed of sheets or layers of paper or straw-board applied one upon the other, cemented together and compressed, substantially as set forth.

2. The improved railway cross-tieherein described, consisting of the-sleeper G, composed of paper or straw-board stock, and the tie rod or bar a, provided at its extremities with the chair or shoe 8, interposed between the rail and sleeper, substantially as shown and set forth. mo

3. The combination of the sleeper 0, comof two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the posed of paper or straw-board stock, the. tiecounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York, 10

rod (1, formed with chairs or shoes 8 at its exthis 16th day of December, 1880.

tremities, and the fastening-bolts b substan- T 5 tiallyas described and shown, for the purpose DENISOA GOETOHINS set forth. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed WM. 0. RAYMOND, my name and affixed my seal, in the presence 0. BENDIXON. 

